The Sun and Moon
by Andromeda Writes
Summary: Unconnected and adorably pointless Kaider one shots!
1. Les Rêves

**Disclaimer**: The rights to the Lunar Chronicles do not belong to me. Celebrate that.**  
>Author's Note<strong>: As said in the summary, these are all unconnected one shots I wrote for Kaider week on tlcshipweeks! Please enjoy. :)

* * *

><p>(<strong>Note<strong>: For the 'Dreams' theme.)

When Kai's mother died, he swore he would never marry. The pain in his father's eyes had been too much, the mourning period far too long. The ache of losing her had lasted well into his adolescence, and his father always skirted around and away from the subject.

When Kai's father came down with the same illness that'd killed his mother and promised to repeat the act, he swore he'd never have children. Not to produce an heir; not even then. Losing his childhood, his innocence and freedom, was too painful. He couldn't risk doing the same to another person, especially not his own blood.

But when he met Cinder, he felt something change. The second they'd made eye contact that day at her booth, he knew something would happen between them. Something beautiful, but fleeting. Everything in his life was fleeting.

But he hadn't expected this. He hadn't expected her to be the lost princess he was searching for. Hadn't expected to be there, on that cargo ship, still unmarried despite a heavily-planned wedding to the evil Lunar queen. Hadn't expected Cinder to feel the same way he did.

Still, he wondered if she dreamt of him the way he did her.

In his dreams, they're together. The war is over and the Lunar Revolution was a success, and she's happy and they're together in the palace and he feels like, finally, life is okay. After everything, he gets to end the day with her, and she is home to him.

In his dreams, they're getting married. They're happily in love, a couple who spreads jealousy across the globe. She's pregnant and glowing and their children are nothing if not the most beautiful in the galaxy.

When he wakes up, reality sets back in and he can't forget that those dreams aren't real, and that there's too good of a chance that neither of them will make it out alive. Too much risk, too much potential that things will not end well. It's wrong to entertain them, but what can he do? The dreams are far more preferable over the nightmares.


	2. Night Terrors

He woke up sweating. Crying. For the third time in the last five days. He raked his fingers through his hair, tried to quiet his labored breathing so he wouldn't wake her.

He didn't realize that it was already too late.

She slid one arm across his stomach, the other wrapping itself around his shoulders, her fingers finding their way into his hair. She pulled him into her, rocking back and forth.

"Another nightmare?" She asked quietly, knowing the answer already.

Kai clung to her, saying nothing, burying himself into her chest.

Queen Levana had been killed three months ago. Winter was instated as queen shortly thereafter, and Cinder decided to stay on Earth, in the Eastern Commonwealth, where she belonged.

The nightmares had begun around the same time. The evil, ugly queen coming down from her burial place on the moon, her features skeletal and decayed, kidnapping Cinder in the night, taking her to a cave deep in the earth.

The nightmares were so vivid. The queen was a ghastly sight – harder to look at than her glamour, more hideous than the way she looked without it, and every night, she snatched Cinder from his arms and ran so impossibly fast out of and away from the palace, he was unsure how he kept up. The cave was always deep and winding and dark, and he had to hold to the rough walls so as to know where he was going in the blackness of it.

But he was always too late. She was always already on the verge of death, her metal parts ripped from her, her body mangled almost beyond recognition. She was calling out for him, but the deceased queen was quick to silence her. Levana caught sight of Kai every night, her smile as evil as it'd ever been, and then, just as she grabbed Cinder's head to snap her neck, Kai woke up.

"She can't hurt us anymore," Cinder whispered, stroking his hair and steadily rocking him back and forth. "I'm right here, I'm right here," she cooed, knowing he would eventually calm down and fall back into a peaceful sleep.

She never fell back asleep after he woke up from nightmares, always so afraid that he might have another. Most nights when he had them, she would wait for him to fall back asleep and hold him close, listening to his steady breath and his steady heartbeat and pray for the stars to allow him to sleep for the remainder of the night.

Some nights, she watched net dramas in the small screen implanted into her prosthetic left eye. Other nights, she thought of the events of the last five months, from the day Kai showed up at her booth at the festival until now. So much had happened in such a short time, but they were there, the galaxy safe and sound for another night.

But she never admitted that the nightmares plagued her, too. They were identical to Kai's, but a role reversal.

She couldn't cry, so how would he ever know if she didn't tell him?

He wouldn't, and that was that. He had enough to worry about. Every night, they awoke at the same time, and he had never noticed. Every night, after he drifted back to sleep, she repeated the same words to herself that she'd used to comfort him. And, every night, she reaffirmed that they were, in fact, all right.


	3. Masks

(**Note**: A very loose interpretation of the 'Masquerade' theme.)

None of it felt real.

None of it ever felt real anymore.

Prison. Running from the militaries of the entire Earthen Union – and Luna's, too. The Lunar Special Operatives. Rescuing Cress. Losing Scarlet. Losing Cress and Thorne. Finding them again. Stopping the wedding. Kidnapping Kai. The kiss. Saving Scarlet. The revolution. The kiss.

None of it felt real. Not even Cinder.

She pressed her head against the chair, desperation in her features, "I don't love him. I don't love Kai."

Cress's abrupt laugh startled her, "Yeah, okay."

"I don't," she repeated. But if her optobionics could turn on her, the orange light would flicker repeatedly. She was a liar, and she knew it.

Scarlet huffed from the hospital bed, where she would be until she was no longer considered malnourished, her hair as wild as ever. "It's okay to admit it. Everyone knows anyway, including the entire Earthen Union. Merde, probably even all of Luna. Except him. He's as oblivious as the stars, that man."

"I don't have anything to admit."

"Mmm," Cress hummed, "false. If you're not taking the Lunar throne and you refuse to be with Kai, what are you going to do?"

Cinder shrugged, habitually scratching at the scar tissue of her left wrist. "What I've always wanted to do. Get out of New Beijing. Go where no one knows me."

It was Scarlet's turn to laugh, "Oh, please. That's impossible. You're Cinder Linh. Princess Selene, for Luna's sake. You're doomed for life."

"I know," Cinder grumbled, burying her face in her hands. "I just want everything to stop. Just for a day. I want to feel human again."

Cress smirked, "What better way than to do the most human thing imaginable?" Cinder tilted her head in confusion. Cress sighed, "Fall in love. Which you already are in love, so it's just a matter of letting it happen!"

"Cress is right," Scarlet said. The two hadn't met until after the revolution, but they'd gotten along really well. Something to do with their contrasting personalities, Cinder assumed.

Cinder pinned her gaze on a spot in the ceiling tiles, in a dark corner tucked away from the harsh fluorescents, "You two are not helping."

They all heard a familiar beep from the other side of the room's door, indicating that someone was coming in.

Wolf pushed through the door first, holding a wrapped sandwich in his hand as he moved immediately to Scarlet's side, taking the seat that was all but attached to her bed. Next was Thorne, holding two sandwiches, a bottled water, and a bag of chips, and he sat next to Cress on the floor, kissing the top of her head and offering her the food.

And then came Kai.

His ears were a light pink as he made eye contact with Cinder.

"Hi," he murmured, taking a cautious seat in the chair adjacent to hers. He handed her the small salad she'd requested and a bottle of water.

"Thanks," she replied, her voice as small as his.

Thorne craned his neck to look at them, "Are we ever going to break this awkwardness, or are we all stranded forever on this 'we're in love but won't admit it' island?"

Cress punched his shoulder, her voice a harsh whisper, "Carswell!"

Thorne put an arm around her and received a few more blows to his side, but he didn't react to them. "You two are so stubborn, honestly."

If looks could kill, Thorne wouldn't have stood a chance against even Kai, let alone Cinder.

Thorne rolled his eyes in exasperation, "Oh, come on. You two are masquerading around like you aren't absolutely head-over-heels for each other. It's kind of depressing."

"Thorne," Wolf growled.

He threw his arms up, "Why are we all trying to hide it?"

Just then, a med-droid rolled in. "Visiting hours are over. All visitors are asked to return to the waiting room until they resume again at 0800 tomorrow. Thank you."

Everyone exchanged coded glances and got up to leave, except Wolf. Scarlet reached over and ran a hand through his messy hair, "Hey, it's okay. I'll be here in the morning."

With a resigned sigh, Wolf kissed her forehead and left without looking back.

Cress and Thorne said their goodbyes and left as well, mentioning something about heading to the hotel next to the hospital for the night, they'd be back in the morning.

Cinder squeezed Scarlet's hand and whispered a "goodnight", noticing how short Kai's goodbye was when he followed her out. She opted to stay at the hospital, watching as Wolf paced the hallway, tense, as if Scarlet was going to disappear again.

She settled into a chair and rolled her head back, pulling up news feeds on her retinal display, trying to shut everyone else out.

Kai sat down next to her, much to her dismay.

"I'm returning to the Eastern Commonwealth in the morning," he told her. "The hover will be here at 0700." He hesitated, dropping his eyes, wondering if she was even listening. "Will you be staying on Luna?"

She sent away the news feeds and rolled her head towards him, "I haven't decided what I'm doing."

"Come back with me," he said, his voice hardly above a whisper. "You don't have to stay with me – uh, at the palace – in New Beijing. Just, you can come to Earth. I'm sure you can go anywhere and they'll love having you there. You're welcome anywhere in the world and on Luna now."

Cinder pressed her lips into a line, shutting her eyes, "I just – I don't know, Kai."

He set his head back against the chair, his eyes focused on a cross section of ceiling tiles. The bags under them continued to get deeper and deeper. "Do you love me, Cinder?"

She sat up quickly, snapping her head towards him, her hands gripping the armrests of the chair, "_What_?!"

Kai didn't react, "Thorne and Wolf, they – they wouldn't drop it. They keep telling me that we should stop hiding our feelings from each other. I think it's time we just get out with it."

"Kai-"

"No, Cinder. Really. We can't keep pretending that nothing happened between us. I can't keep pretending like you're not important to me, that I don't – that I don't love you."

"You love me," she muttered incredulously. Her orange light didn't blink, but she tried to ignore that fact. "We hardly know each other. And what next, Kai? We have a whirlwind romance? Get married, have _babies_? Rule the EC, pretend like none of this ever happened?"

He dropped his head, staring at his hands in his lap, "This'll stay with us forever. Of course we won't pretend like it never happened. But will you really let it define you and your future?"

"It'll define my future whether or not I allow it to." Cinder shot him a glare, "I don't know what to do, Kai. I'm barely seventeen, and I'm a damned heroine and everyone loves me! It's great, really. I love being the center of attention and the highlight of every news article." She buried her face in her hands, "I'm lost, Kai. What can I do? It doesn't matter what I do or where I go next, because I'll always be Princess Selene. I'll always be the cyborg teenager who overthrew an oppressive monarchy. I can't be normal anywhere."

He reluctantly wrapped an arm around her and she gave in, resting her head on his shoulder. He didn't smell like soap anymore, but even he made the smell of the sterile hospital seem tolerable. "You're just Cinder now. Just Cinder."

She squeezed her eyes shut. Of course she loved him. He was one of the few people who treated her like her own person, not a heroine. Not a savior. A teenage girl who just wanted a chance to breathe. He'd accepted her completely as she was – no questions asked.

"You saved the world, Cinder. That's a lot to take in, I know. Come back. Stay in the palace, take a break. Get away from everything and settle down for a minute."

She laughed, "That – that's stupid. Think of the rumors."

"They don't have to be rumors."

Cinder stiffened, "Kai."

"All I'm saying is, what other choice is there? Winter took the throne, and you don't know Luna like you know the Commonwealth. Like I said, you don't have to come back with me. Just come back."

She snaked an arm around him and let herself nuzzle his neck. She just wanted to cry. Why couldn't she just _cry_? "I'll think about it."

"No more secrets, right?"

"No more secrets."

"No more masks?"

She opened her eyes, tightened her grip.

"No more masks."


	4. Strictly Business (AU)

(**Note**: Employee/Customer AU)

_WELCOME TO EMPEROR'S PARTS_

She reads the sign as she brings up exactly what it is she's there for.

The shop is new, just opened, and rumor has it that it's the cheapest place for hover, android, and cyborg parts.

Cinder takes a deep breath and enters, not much a fan of new things. Towards the back of the shop, she hears a ding alerting the employees to a customer.

Well, employee.

He comes out of an archway with his black, swooping hair scooped away from his eyes and a customer-service smile on his face. "Hi, welcome to Emperor's Parts. Can I-" he gets closer to her and nearly chokes on his own words, "-can I help you?"

Cinder shoots him a fleeting, friendly grin, "Just point me to the android parts and I'll be on my way."

She tries to ignore the fact that he's a _total _babe – her step-sister's words for describing handsome men, not her own, they just seem to fit the best – and he flourishes his arm toward the other side of the store. "Follow me!"

She lingers just behind him as they walk through the store. She searches her mind for subjects, "So, you guys are new." She clenches her jaw, hating her choice of words.

"Just opened yesterday, actually," he turns to grin at her. "Are you a mechanic around here?"

"I run a shop in the marketplace downtown," she tells him.

He nods, "Do you work for your father?"

He asks it casually and innocently, but she rolls her eyes anyway, "No, I _run_ it. Myself."

He looks back at her again and gives an apologetic turn of his lips, "I'm sorry, that was rude of me to assume." He clears his throat and stops, "Well, here we are. If you need anything else, my name is Kai."

"Thanks," she says coolly, walking to where they have parts for the GARD androids, though Adri _doesn't even use hers anymore_. Cinder grumbled to herself as she located the specific make number – 5.8.

She digs around for a control panel and pulls the box out, examining it. She walks to the front counter, "Just this."

Kai doesn't take his eyes off her as he scans the box, "75 univs."

She furrows her brow and glances down at box, "It said 100 on the price tag."

"It's on sale," her orange light blinks and she rolls her eyes.

"I don't need a discount, it's already half the price of some of the other stores around here."

Kai's smile is gentle, "Seventy-five univs."

"I don't want you to feel like I owe you anything."

"I can assure you I won't feel that way."

Her shoulders slump and she sticks out her wrist, "Fine."

He smirks as he swipes the handheld scanner across it, his ears turning red. "Have a great day, Miss Linh."

"You, too, Kai," she says emotionlessly as she leaves.

She doesn't notice the way he smiles when she says his name.

* * *

><p>Cinder huffs as she pushes the door to the shop open, hearing the ding in the back.<p>

She turns to head to the section with the android parts when she's stopped by his voice.

"Hi! Welcome to- oh, hey! You're back!" She can hear him behind her and she's clenching her jaw, already frustrated and not needing any more baggage to pile on top of that.

She takes the deepest breath her lungs can manage and turns on her heel, "Yeah! You have cyborg parts here, right?"

He nods enthusiastically, "Yeah, follow m–"

"–no, you can just point." She cuts him off, her voice significantly less Nice than it was only a moment before.

He deflates a bit, "Oh, uh, it's right next to the android section."

"Thanks," she mutters, almost feeling bad as she walks away.

After a few minutes, she appears at the front counter. She drops the box for a size 8 foot onto the counter. "Do you guys do big orders? This place is so cheap, and I'm assuming you give bulk discounts?"

Kai chuckles nervously, his ears shading red. "Only if you don't mind that I'm the delivery guy."

Cinder scratches the back of her head with a gloved hand, "Why am I not surprised?"

"Because I'm the owner's son?"

She bites her cheek, "That makes sense, I suppose."

"But yeah, do you want me to grab you a form? We can set it up right now. A lot of our business became bulk orders almost immediately, actually." It almost disturbs her when she realizes that his eyes haven't left hers once.

She drops her gaze to the counter, "Yeah, sure."

He disappears into the back of the store for a moment and Cinder realizes how stiff her shoulders had been. She forces them to relax.

He returns with a portscreen and a stylus, setting it in front of her. "This is just for your business and payment information along with your chosen weekly delivery date. Once we get this done, I'll comm you an order form for the deliveries. Whatever parts you need, we have."

She takes the stylus from his hand, feeling how warm his skin is through her glove alone. She ignores the spark in her stomach, filling out the form, glancing up and realizing that he's watching her, a small grin across his lips.

She signs her name across the bottom and then straightens, handing the stylus back to him, "Okay, all done."

He taps out a few more things on the portscreen before locking it, "I guess I'll be seeing you next Tuesday."

"Probably sooner," she corrects. "My guardian has been crazy with repairs lately. It's something new every day, and I never know what's next."

"Your guardian?" He quirks an eyebrow.

She tugs on the hem of her left glove, "It's complicated." She pushes the cyborg foot towards him to pay for it, "But yeah, I'll probably be back tomorrow."

Kai grins as she swipes her wrist, "I look forward to it."

Cinder can't explain why her chest feels so strange at his words.

* * *

><p>He's pushing a hover lift when he appears at the front of her booth in the center of the marketplace.<p>

"Delivery for Linh Cinder," he says, his eyes bright.

She stands up, "You're late."

"By five minutes!" He defends, clicking off the hydraulics of the lift and lowering it to the ground.

"Still late," she teases, moving to the other side of the table to try and help him.

He sticks his arm out, "Oh no, this is all me."

She plants her hands on her hips as he starts to unload the boxes – many of which are clearly too heavy for him, and she can see him huff and puff as he struggles to carry them the four feet to their designated areas.

"Doin' all right?" She asks, mocking him.

"Oh, yeah," he pants. "I'm… doing just… _great_."

The orange light flickers and she chuckles, "Well, don't say I didn't try to help."

She almost admits to herself that he's kind of adorable.

When he's finally done, he pulls out a portscreen and a stylus and hands it to her. "Just sign it and I'll be out of your hair."

Air whistles from between her lips, "Well, thank the stars. I can't believe I have to put up with you on a weekly basis!"

He flashes her a toothy smile, "You're not exactly charming, yourself."

Cinder flips her ponytail over her shoulder and barely hides her grin. "I'm a paragon of charm."

"And I'm the Emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth."

Cinder snorts, "I'll see you next week, Kai."

He winks at her and her heart stalls for half a second in her chest, "See you later, Cinder."

* * *

><p>He can't believe that he's gone a week without seeing her when he flips off the hydraulics of the lift. "I'm here on time today!"<p>

"Congratulations," she says without looking up from the portscreen she's working on.

He chuckles, "So validating, thank you."

She touches the screen of the port and it comes to life. With a satisfied grin, she locks it and sets it to the side, her eyes finding his. "Will you accept help today?"

He glances between the boxes and her, considering. "How much will you crush my ego if I say yes?"

Cinder jumps up shoots him a sarcastic smirk, rounding the table and lifting the top box with ease, "Only a lot, I hope."

He makes a face at her back as she moves to the back of the booth.

They almost do a waltz as they're unpacking boxes, dancing around each other and trying not to drop anything. When they're done, he hands her the portscreen so she can sign off on the delivery and pay.

"Pleasure doing business with you again, Miss Linh," he says, his face warming.

He reaches for the outstretched portscreen and, as he takes it, his fingers brush across her gloved left hand.

She snatches her arm back and tucks her hand under her other arm.

He tilts his head, giving her a nearly-accusatory look, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?" Her voice is a bit too airy and he can tell she's probably lying.

"You snatched your hand away like it caught fire."

Her shoulders somehow tense more, and she glances back at her booth, "I should probably get back to work. I have a lot of stuff to work on."

"Cinder."

She turns her head but keeps her eyes locked on his, her eyebrows stitching together, "It's fine, Kai."

He steps forward, "Cinder."

She groans, "Let's talk in the back. I don't want anyone else to hear."

He clips the port onto his belt and then follows her to the back of the booth. She turns to him and takes a deep breath, "I figure that if you're going to be working with me, you might as well know."

"Know what?"

"I'm a cyborg."

He glances down at her gloves, "Is that it?"

Her eyes grow wide with fury, "'_Is that it_?' Is that all you have to say?"

"Well, yeah. That explains the whole guardian thing, I guess."

She relaxes, "Oh, stars. Well, that was fun, but I really do have stuff to do. Go, get out."

He laughs as he turns on the lift's hydraulics again, "I'll see you next week."

He's still smiling when he leaves, satisfied in knowing that she trusts him, though they hardly know each other. Kai feels like an idiot, but she's just so… remarkable.

* * *

><p>"Delivery for Linh Cinder!" His voice is high and chipper when he approaches, and she's half asleep at the table.<p>

"Okay," she mutters, lifting her head from her crossed arms.

Kai leans over, "Looks like someone didn't get her beauty sleep."

"My guardian gave me about a thousand things to do last night." She replies, fixing her messy ponytail. She pauses for a beat, "You're late again."

Cinder moves to start helping him with the boxes and he sighs, "I know, I'm sorry. The business before you isn't quite so punctual."

"Too bad you can't punish them instead of me," she murmurs, clearly very grouchy.

"I'm four minutes late, Cinder," he retorts, setting a box on the concrete.

She's behind him when she speaks again, "And it's _unprofessional_."

Shoulders stiffening, he turns on his heel to reply, "The only thing unprofessional is–" he stops inches from her, unaware that she was so close. He stumbles over a few words trying to figure out what he was going on about, but eventually gives up.

Cinder makes no reaction, her face still as stone, not even _blushing_ – how does she do that? – but her breathing does hitch. "The-the-the only thing unprofessional is-is what, Kai?" She asks, her voice wobbly, her eyes instinctually trailing down to his lips.

A smile plays at the corners of his mouth and his fingers flutter up one of her elbows.

"We-we should- we should probably," she struggles to hang onto her thoughts with him so close, the scent of his soap invading the ever-present smell of grease in the air. "We should keep this pr-professional."

He pauses mere centimeters from her lips, his breath hot against them, "Are you sure about that?"

"N-no," she breathes, and then he's kissing her. His fingers leave her elbow and wrap around her, his palm against the small of her back. She can't do much but trace her fingers up and around his shoulders, sending away continuous warnings in her retinal display.

He breaks the kiss, "What were you saying about being unprofessional?"

"Shut up."


	5. Homebound

(**Note**: Written for the 'Celestial' theme, it kind of fits.)

The sunset looked beautiful over the ocean, she had to admit. She'd never seen it before today. Never had the chance to, never had a reason to call a hover and take the trip out all alone. Facing east, all she could see were the colors that resulted from the setting sun. It was breathtaking.

She could hear him approaching before he called out to her.

"Why didn't you comm me?" He asked, standing just behind her on the rocky ledge.

Cinder didn't turn her head, her eyes glued to the horizon. "I wanted to be alone."

He shoved his hands into his pockets, "Oh."

"But since you're already here, sit."

He sighed and sat next to her, staying just out of reach. Kai didn't want to make her nervous by being too close. "Are you okay, Cinder?"

"I don't know." She grimaced, wrapping her right arm around her knees, her left hand against the rock to maintain her balance. "I feel like I'm being stretched in a thousand directions. I don't know where to go from here, Kai."

He reached over and hesitantly wrapped his fingers around hers – the fingers of her cyborg hand. She didn't flinch away and he wondered if she knew he was holding them at all. "Stay."

She looked over at him now, "Stay? Where?"

"Here. The commonwealth. With me." He tried a smile.

There was a hint of laughter in her breath, "What are you saying, Kai?"

He shifted closer to her and let go of her hand, wrapping his arm instead around her and pulling her into him, "Let's… uh, be-be my girlfriend. Live in the palace with me. Or in the city, if you don't want to move that quickly. Stay anywhere you want, as long as it'll mean we can be together. If you want to be."

"You want me to be your girlfriend," she grinned. "How could I say no?"

She drew herself out of his arms and moved to face him. He wrapped his fingers gently around her upper arms and then pulled her in for a kiss, one every bit as warm and gentle as the first one on the Rampion.

There was nothing this time that would pull them apart. No awful news could possibly come out now, so soon after the revolution. There were tensions in some parts of Luna, sure, but nothing that wasn't already under control. He broke the kiss just long enough to pull her onto his lap.

Finally, she rested her head against his chest and he cradled her as they watched the stars appear.

"They're beautiful," said Cinder, her retina display drawing the constellations over her vision.

"You outshine them all."

She said nothing, not wanting to ruin the moment. And it was wonderful, that moment. His words lingered in the air around them and it felt so much like they were the only two in the world, lost in the stars and without any responsibilities.

Cinder craned her head to place a kiss on his jaw, "How did you know I was here?"

He didn't look down at her, his eyes scanning the cosmos, as though he were looking for a specific star among the thousands above them. "I have my ways," Kai told her, one corner of his mouth turning upwards, his ears as pink as the light from the sunset.

"Did you track me?"

"I couldn't find you. You weren't replying to my comms. I was worried."

She felt his grip around her tighten and she realized that the scent of soap had returned. It really did feel like they were the only two in the entire universe. "You know you don't have to worry about me anymore."

"I've always worried about you, Cinder. I don't know what it's like not to."

She smiled, realizing there was no place she'd rather be, the warmth in her chest burning bright.

"Take me home, Kai," whispered Cinder.

"Where's home?"

"Wherever you are."


	6. Cosmic Relations

"Are you gonna stay in here forever or just until we land on Luna?" Cress leans against the door frame with her arms crossed and eyes narrowed; it's an action that just doesn't seem right coming from her.

Kai doesn't look up at her, his eyes trained on the baseboard of the steel-blue wall across from his bed. His knees are pulled to his chest and he's not really looking at anything at all. "Shouldn't you be guiding Thorne around?"

"He's taking a nap," She says, unhappy with the sudden change of subject. "You know why I'm here, right?"

"To pester me since Thorne isn't up?"

She furrows her brow as she steps into the room, shutting the door behind her. "That wasn't very nice." She presses her back against the wall and slides down it, her eyes level with his gaze once she's settled. "Do you know how horrible this is making Cinder feel?"

Kai drops his glower to the edge of the military-issued cot, "Look, it's complicated."

"So, talk to me about it."

"Cinder doesn't need more stress in her life. That's what I am, Cress. I'm _stress_. Look at all that I've put you guys through already." He drags his fingers through his hair and buries his face between his legs. His voice drops to a nearly-inaudible mutter, "I can't believe I didn't trust her."

Cress adjusts her position, splaying her legs out in front of her, "Even if she didn't have to save you for this plan to work, she still would've. Do you have _any _idea how much sleep she lost because she was up all night worried that you would be killed during our escape?"

Kai bristles and sets his head against the wall, his eyes focusing on the bars of the top bunk, "Either way, to pursue any kind of relationship with her now – with everything that's happening – would be wrong. I'm not sure if she would even care that much anyw–"

"Stop," she snaps. Her voice sounds wrong. Unnatural. "Have you a single idea what she's gone through for you? And you think _you _still care more than she does?" She knows she's being redundant, but how else is she supposed to make him understand?

Kai's eyes close, "I don't know, Cress. I don't know. She has so many other things to worry about."

"And somehow, you're still on top of her list." She pulls herself up off of the floor, "I'm no professional when it comes to love and the only real experience I have with it is Second Era dramas, but–"

"–Thorne might have to disagree with you."

"This isn't about Thorne and me," She says, crossing her arms, though not at all surprised that he brought up Thorne. "As I was _saying_, I'm no pro, but Cinder cares more for you than she does herself, Your Highness." She spits the last word like venom at him.

"Just Kai," he mumbles, opening his eyes and glancing at her again.

"You love her," she accuses. "You do, I get it. I can see it. I can see that she feels the same, too. Though I can hardly understand why."

He moves to cross his legs and leans against the wall, "I don't-I don't love her."

Her laugh is harsh and it makes him jump. "I'm not blind."

"You're starting to scare me, Cress," says Kai.

She regains her composure and scuffs her shoe on the ground, feeling her face warm. She's starting to scare herself, too, and lowers her voice considerably, "Just, please go talk to Cinder. _Please_. Ignoring her is only making it worse."

He looks away, "I'm not ignoring her."

"Sorry, _avoiding_."

He scoots to the edge of the bed and drops his feet to the floor, "Fine. I'll go talk to her."

He brushes past her to the door and heads toward Cinder's room, four doors down. He knows she's there; she practices using her glamour alone now that Wolf is too injured to fight.

He knocks lightly and hears her groan in the dimness of the room, "What?"

"Can we talk?" His voice is low and hardly sounds the same as he speaks through the crack in the door.

Cinder pulls it open, "So you're back to acting like I exist now?"

His breathing hitches as their eyes meet and suddenly all he can feel is guilt. He tries to laugh a bit to dispel the mounting anxiety in the back of his mind and it doesn't work. "I'm sorry for ignoring you, Cinder. I know I'm being selfish."

She says nothing and sets her jaw.

"It's – I want – I think – it's just that I can't come to terms with believing that this is really happening. That you're here and I'm here and, for the moment, we're… sort of, kind of, at the very moment, at least." He chuckles again and he drags his fingers through his messy hair, scraggly from the past five days on board the Rampion.

She doesn't say anything, and part of him wonders if she's biting her cheek because she's concealing a smile or if she wants to say something and can't bring herself to it.

"It makes me feel stupid," he continues. "I screwed up all of your plans, and I've been screwing up all of your plans since the day we met, and yet you still care."

Cinder scratches her left wrist, the phantom sensation of fabric resting there still bothering her. "I admire the skill you have."

"In what?"

"In ruining my plans." She drops her gaze to the door jamb. "But this is really happening."

He laughs again, the blush spreading from his ears to his face. Kai can't decode the subtle emotions that cross her face. "It's terrifying."

"I know."

His breath catches in his throat at her admission and he reaches out and she stiffens as his fingertips brush over her waist.

She moves to rest her forehead against his shoulder, but she does not wrap her arms around him the way he does her. "You're an idiot, Kai. But you're not stupid – yes, there's a difference, and you've done everything you can under the circumstances. Besides, it's not like we can go back in time and change anything." She steps out of his grasp and runs her human fingertips across his jaw. A chill spreads down his spine. "For the record, I don't blame anything on you."

He leans into her touch and squeezes his eyes shut, "I blame everything on myself."

"We have a lot in common, then."

He starts to open his eyes before they close on instinct, because she's kissing him now and yet she's still not touching him and Kai thinks his chest has caught fire.

Their lips part and his eyes flutter open to see hers staring back, brown and vibrant and alive.

"Don't avoid me anymore," her fingers flutter up his arm and around his neck. "Okay?"

He kisses her cheek, "Okay," and then her jaw, "I won't," and then her lips, "I promise."


	7. Wired Connections

(**Note**: Inspired By **post/95208190403/kai-will-become-a-cyborg-then-if-he-got-a-retina **on the lunarheadcanons Tumblr!)

She paced the waiting room nervously, her head a mess and her heart thudding in her chest, the warnings in her retinal display not helping to dispel her anxiety.

Her internal clock indicated that it had been nine hours since he went into surgery. The surgeon had mentioned that it would take around ten, so at least the worst of it was over. The only news the med droids had brought since he went under anesthesia was that everything was going well.

Cinder was the only one not currently in the hospital, except Cress. The blonde had only sustained minor injuries since she'd been mostly safe in a security booth the entire time, but she was with Thorne, who'd broken three ribs and nearly lost an eye. Wolf was in recovery from his surgery and Scarlet was still in hers – but it was minor enough that Cinder knew better than to worry. Scarlet was a fighter.

All in all, the Rampion crew weren't too hard out. Except Kai. The idiot. He just had to jump in front of an attack for Cinder. It had cost him his right arm, and that's what they were working on now. Giving him a new arm.

There was a lot of risk involved with cybernetic operations, particularly those that included installing a control panel in someone's brain. Cinder was a nervous wreck and wholly surprised that the anxiety hadn't caused her brain to shut down. Not yet, at least.

She slumped down in a chair and buried her face in her hands, her legs bouncing restlessly. She wasn't sure why she was so anxious about it. At that point, there was very little that could go horribly wrong. Even still, she couldn't stop thinking of every terrible thing that could possibly go wrong ever. She couldn't help but blame herself – she wouldn't let herself glamour him to keep him safe during her scuffle with the thaumaturge, and if she had, he never would have been in the way of that wolf hybrid who'd practically shredded his arm before she could get control of the thaumaturge's bioelectricity. Of course, she had little time to make a decision. He was supposed to be elsewhere, safe, yet he just _had_ to hunt her down.

But there was no going back now – she'd promised never to glamour him, anyway. And when she heard the door of the OR slide open, she jumped to her feet. The surgeon bowed to her as he walked through the doors, an exhausted smile on his face. "He's a strong one. They're taking him to the recovery room now. The operation went smoothly, and he now has a control panel around the same area as yours. I also feel that, now that it's over, I should tell you this." He looked around, though the waiting room was deserted, with royal guards positioned outside the entrance. "He was unconscious when he arrived but, when we were prepping him for surgery, he was lucid. He requested a retina scanner."

Cinder's arms began to shake. "He _what_? A ret- and-and you got full consent for it? Are you sure?"

"We're sure," the surgeon told her. She noticed that he had taken a small step backwards, probably a little disconcerted by her reaction. "It's in his right eye. Believe it or not, that was the easy part of the surgery."

Cinder swiped a hand over her forehead, "Why am I not surprised? He's such an idiot."

The surgeon wet his lips, "Uh, would you like to see him?"

She nodded, "Yeah, take me to him."

* * *

><p>Seeing him hooked up to all of those machines made her heart ache. He was sleeping peacefully, though, so at least there was that. She approached the bed reluctantly, her trembling fingers reaching out to run along his prosthetic arm. He was just like her now. It didn't feel right. It wasn't right. It was her fault.<p>

There were bandages wrapped around his chest and a gauzy eye patch over his right eye. She bit her lip, a familiar pressure building against the back of her eyes, though they would remain dry.

She wondered if he even considered that he'd never be able to cry now. He would suffer the same headaches as her, and they weren't necessarily pleasant.

She then traced her fingers down the length of his human arm, dodging the IV line, and resting them against his palm.

"You're an idiot," she muttered under her breath.

She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to tell herself that this wasn't real. She would open her eyes and he would be whole again. He wouldn't be 17.96% not-human anymore. It was just her imagination playing tricks on her. She would open her eyes and they would be anywhere but in that hospital room and they would be safe and he would be 100% _human_.

When Cinder finally opened her eyes, he was looking back at her, a serene smile on his face. When she made eye contact, he wrapped his fingers weakly around the ones she'd left against his palm. "It's not nice to call someone an idiot." His voice was low and croaky, but her audio interface adjusted itself just enough.

Finally getting a grip on herself, she smiled back. "You are an idiot."

He painstakingly sat up, much to Cinder's own horror, and tugged on her arm as much as his lethargic muscles would allow him. "Sit with me."

Hesitantly, she sat on the bed next to him. He reached up and touched her cheek with his metal hand and it was so hard to cope with the fact that it was _him_. "How do you feel?" She asked weakly.

His eyes scanned her face, as if he couldn't fully grasp that she was actually there. Like he thought it was just a dream. "My right arm is kind of cold."

"Shut up." She blinked slowly, the cool metal of his new hand warming against her skin.

At least he was there.

At least he was still alive.

"How is everyone else?" He asked.

"Everyone's fine. Are you in pain?"

He groaned, "Always making things about me, aren't you?"

She pursed her lips, "Only because you can't make anything about yourself."

He ran his metal thumb across her cheek, "Please don't worry about me. I'm all medicated up and I can't feel any pain."

"All I do is worry about you," she admitted.

"Because you can't make anything about yourself."

She sighed and leaned over, placing her forehead against his, "Why did you get a retina scanner?"

"I thought it would be cool."

"Kai."

"I thought it would be fun to send each other comms during meetings."

"_Kai_." She sat up, "It wasn't necessary. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for them to do that?"

He ran his human fingers down a stray piece of hair that hung over her shoulder. "I just-"

"You'll never be able to cry," she began, dropping her gaze away from him. "You'll have all of these warnings and messages popping up in your vision. You'll feel more like an android than a human. People will think you're emotionless because you can't show it the way they do. You-"

"Stop, Cinder." She lifted her eyes to meet his again. He took both of her hands in his, the sound of metal-on-metal making her start just a bit. It wasn't right. Inhuman. "I made the choice. Me. You sound like you're blaming yourself for the choices I made. You have to stop doing that."

She rubbed the back of her neck, "I can't help it. I'm the only reason you're here."

"_Levana _is the reason I'm here. She is the culprit behind all of this. She's the reason for everything."

Cinder's tense shoulders relaxed and she shut her eyes once again, shaking her head slowly back and forth. "I really do blame myself for everything, don't I?"

"Welcome to reality."

She opened her eyes and her fingers fluttered again over the bandages covering his torso. "I can't believe it's over."

He smiled, "You succeeded, Cinder. You did it."

"We did it," she corrected, and then she bent over and kissed him. "You may be a complete idiot, but you did save me."

He hummed, "I won't tell anyone that you admitted it, either."

"Always nice to have you looking out for me."


	8. Game, Set, Match (AU)

**Author's Note**: College AU. This is literally just pointless Kaider being adorable, but not super fluffy. I still like it. (PS: Did not write this for tlcsw. This is just a handy lil place to put Kaider one shots.) (PPS: If you are an avid tennis player and notice that I messed up some of the tennis jargon, don't hate me. I haven't played since seventh grade. That was *checks calendar* eight years ago.)

* * *

><p>"No. Absolutely not." Her voice was thick with vitriol.<p>

"You promised me that we would do it this year."

"Oh, come on!"

"We didn't do it freshman or sophomore year! You _promised_," he said, devastation and disappointment in his features.

"When I agreed to this, my judgment was compromised."

He perched his chin on his fist and his expression relaxed into a smirk. "Because I was kissing your special spot, you mean?" He reached over with his free hand and ran a finger across a spot on her neck, just above her collarbone on the left side. He watched small bumps spread over her bare arms, though she didn't flinch. "Wins you over every time."

Her left eye twitched. "Your negotiation tactics are completely unethical."

"But you still promised, Cinder," he reminded her. "We only have to do one round–thing–whatever they're called in tennis for each team we're against!"

"Honestly, we're terrible at tennis, Kai. You're the very definition of 'lanky' and I'm a complete klutz."

"You're not _that _much of a klutz." He smiled at the very thought of them tripping over each other on the court. "But it'll be fun!"

"We'll make a fool of ourselves! We won't even make it past the first round! It'll be awful."

Kai waved his hand at her. "Nonsense. It'll be fun! And how about this – if we win the whole thing, I'll take you on the date I've been planning for our 4 year anniversary."

She narrowed her eyes. "And if we lose?"

"Our four year anniversary is only seven months away."

Cinder groaned. "Not fair. Don't hang it over my head like that! You know I've been excited about this mysterious date since you first conjured up the idea during our _one year _celebration."

"I know." He grinned.

"Personally, I think we should just save that date for its intended purpose."

"So we'll sign up, then?"

She shoved him lightly, knocking his hand out from under his chin and forcing him to lose his balance. He caught himself just before his jaw hit the table and she chuckled. He knew to expect it. "Fine. Honestly, why did we choose to attend the same college? High school was nice because they couldn't do coed sports, so you could never drag me into these schemes, but here, I can't even fight it. Intramurals are the worst."

He smiled triumphantly. "It's because you couldn't handle being away from me!" He leaned across the table and planted a kiss on her cheek. "And you love me," he said, drawing out every word like the sentence was a song.

Cinder kicked his shin under the table. "You're not wrong, but it's still unfair."

Kai winked at her before glancing down to check his phone. "Okay, I've gotta head to International Law. We'll sign up once you get out of math, right?"

She chafed her fingers across her brow. "I guess."

He stood and slung his backpack over his shoulder, moving to her side of the table in the campus coffee shop. He gave her a quick kiss. "I'll see you later, Cinder. Tell Iko I said hi." She scrunched her nose up at him and he reciprocated. "I love you."

"Yeah, yeah."

Kai quirked an eyebrow, waiting.

"I love you, too."

* * *

><p>Cinder couldn't focus in Calc III. She spent the entire fifty minutes thinking of every possible way she could – and would – embarrass herself during the intramural tennis matches.<p>

Iko, her best friend since the first day of their freshman year, hadn't made it any better.

"I heard Scarlet and Ze'ev are signing up," she'd said. "It's becoming like a couples thing!"

Scarlet wasn't a problem. Just a French major. Ze'ev, her boyfriend, on the other hand – he was tall. And terrifying. And also a former MMA fighter. He could probably crush Kai just by touching him.

"Winter and Jacin, too. Which his weird. Jacin doesn't seem like the type for sports."

"He's a _track star_," Cinder had mentioned. Iko ignored her.

"And Cress and Thorne!" Stars, Thorne was the most competitive man ever, Cinder was sure. Cress was probably the exact opposite of an athlete, though.

And then there was Sybil and Levana. They were star tennis players at their respective high schools, apparently. The small university didn't have a tennis team, but Cinder was still pretty sure that that was illegal.

Well, not illegal. Prohibited, Kai would call it, in his official "I'm a Pre-Law major" voice.

But it wasn't like she could back out now. He was already waiting for her outside of the classroom, practically jumping up and down when he took her hand and started dragging her towards the Student Activities office.

"We'd like to sign up for the Intramurals Tennis Match!" He said to the student at the counter. His voice was full of enthusiasm and it almost made it all worth it.

"Singles or Doubles?" The girl asked, not even phased by his clear excitement.

"Doubles!"

She took down their names and student ID numbers, handed them both an information sheet, and went back to staring at her phone.

Kai didn't seem bothered by it at all, and pulled Cinder into a crushing embrace as soon as they left the office. "You're the best!"

She pried herself away from him, laughing. "I don't get it. Why are you so excited about this?"

"It's going to be so _fun_, Cinder. You and me, playing tennis and making complete asses of ourselves! I think we should put to use our complex's tennis courts, don't you?"

"Kai," she said, pulling him to a stop and glaring at him. He was still beaming, his copper eyes still full of delight. It softened her just a bit. "We don't even have rackets. Or tennis balls."

He waved his free hand at her. "_Details_, Cinder. Where do you think we're going before we head back to the apartment?" When she only continued to stare at him, he gave a theatrical sigh. "The sporting goods store!"

* * *

><p>He was so full of energy. There was <em>no way <em>they would lose this. They were ready, so ready.

"We've changed up the rules a bit. As far as in-game rules go, there will only be one server per match, and the team that gets to serve will be chosen via coin toss. Since we have five teams, we'll do the first two matches, and the third match will be the final team with the team that won the first match. First match," the student referee announced, "Kesley and Benoit versus Thorne and Darnel."

As they watched them play, Kai leaned over to Cinder. "Amateurs," he muttered.

She elbowed him. "_We're _amateurs, Kai."

He shushed her and returned to watching the match. It ended quickly, Ze'ev and Scarlet taking the win. Thorne looked absolutely destroyed, and Cress was already trying to cheer him up by forcing him to give her a piggy back ride.

He was smiling again before they got back to the bleachers.

"Next match, Blackburn and Mira versus… Hayle and Clay."

"This is gonna be good," whispered Kai.

Cinder looked more bored than anything. He reached over and pinched her knee and her immediate reaction was to hit him. He winced and then chuckled. "Maybe we should warm up."

She glared at him. "I hate you."

His mouth fell open. "Are we breaking up?" he joked.

"I _wish_."

The match was over in almost no time – especially considering the unfair advantage that Sybil and Levana had over literally everyone else.

"Third match, Kesley and Benoit versus Huang and Linh."

"Here we go!" Kai drawled, jumping up and clutching his racket.

"Oh stars," Cinder groaned. "Let's get this over with."

* * *

><p>"Fifteen-Thirty. First Serve!"<p>

The ball was coming straight for Cinder. Just two more points on their side and they would win the match.

She swung her racket out and knocked the ball back to the other side of the net. It bounced on the line before hitting the fence to the left of the court.

"Yeah, Cinder!" Kai cheered, high fiving her as they prepared for the next serve.

Ze'ev worked a kink out of his shoulders, bouncing the ball next to his foot. "Fifteen-Forty. First serve!"

The ball flew over the net and bounced in Cinder's area of the court. She ran forward, swinging her racket and sending the ball flying just barely over the net. It bounced. Scarlet dashed for it, her racket at the ready. It bounced again. Scarlet swung her racket, sending the ball straight into the net.

"You're a natural," Kai called to her, winking.

She kissed the air before laughing. The excitement was staring to hit her. She was _good _at this.

Ze'ev was bouncing the ball a lot harder than before, Cinder noticed. She glanced nervously at Kai. He gave her another wink before bouncing on the balls of his feet, waiting in anticipation.

"Game point. First serve!"

The ball was flying. Kai scrambled for it, and sent it soaring over the net. Before Cinder knew it, she was running after it, having watched Ze'ev whack it her way. With a near-perfect backhand, it sailed over the net. Scarlet was quick, though. She sent it back, back, back. But not far enough for it to be out of bounds when it bounced. Kai had been waiting, his arm held up in the air. He swung, angling the racket just enough. It glided over the net, bounced on the line, and then soared right past Ze'ev's waiting racket.

They won!

It was then time for them to go up again Sybil and Levana. The tennis stars. There was no way they were winning this.

Kai grabbed a swig out of Cinder's water bottle. "Ready, babe?" He beamed.

She let out a whine, but the excitement was still coursing through her veins. "Let's go."

Levana would be serving. Cinder felt sick.

"Love-All." She grinned. "First serve."

It came quick and it came deadly. Cinder dove out of the way as the ball coasted through the spot that her head had been only seconds ago.

Eyebrows stitched together, Cinder threw the ball back over to Levana, whose grin had turned mocking.

"Fifteen-Love," she sang. "First serve."

Kai was much less afraid of her. He sent the ball flying back without hesitation. Sybil hit it before it bounced, with perfect precision. Sucking in a deep breath, Cinder whacked the ball. It licked the top of the net before bouncing three times. Their point. She felt victorious.

With a scowl, Levana focused her eyes on Cinder. "Fifteen-All," she said with just a bit too much bitterness. "First serve."

Cinder would not be afraid of the ball this time. She would not. She would n-

She smacked her racket into the ball, sending it to the other side of the net, but it was too hard. It landed out of bounds. Levana flipped her hair and she and Sybil did a hip-bump. _Cheaters_.

"Thirty-Fifteen," she shouted. "First serve!"

Kai was ready. He hit the ball so hard that it barely had enough time to kiss the white line on the far edge of the court before sailing out of bounds. Cinder swelled with pride. "Yeah, Kai!" She shouted. She was all adrenaline and elation and it felt amazing.

"Thirty-All. First serve."

Cinder was confident this time. She hit the ball at just the right angle. It flew over the net before smacking the ground, coming up and bouncing off the tip of Sybil's racket.

Levana was absolutely _livid _at this point.

"Thirty-Forty," she spat. "First serve!"

The ball bounced in Kai's court, but nearly hit him on the nose as it flew up from the ground. "Stars," she heard him mutter. He shot her an apologetic look and she just gave him a quick smile and thumbs up.

"Deuce," Levana called out. "First serve."

Cinder sprang forth and sent the ball sailing over the net before Sybil had time to react. She felt particularly triumphant that she was doing so well against a star player. Beginner's luck, perhaps.

"Deuce. Ad-_out_. First serve." She passed a quick glare to Sybil's back before serving.

Kai did a wobbly backhand, though it sent the ball just to the edge of the court. But Levana was fast, too.

Cinder recovered for him and passed the ball in Sybil's direction, who volleyed it back like it was nothing. Kai jumped up, landing the perfect hit on the ball, but Levana was already there, hitting it back.

Cinder swung. As hard as she could, she swung, and the ball practically sang through the air.

Sybil dove for it. Levana dove for it. They both missed, running into each other, causing the both of them to stumble backwards.

It was _quite _the sight.

The referee blew his whistle and the small crowd on the bleachers cheered.

"We did it!" Kai exclaimed, picking Cinder up and twirling her around. "We did it!"

"I can't believe it. We actually won," said Cinder, completely awestruck.

He laughed. "Best girlfriend _ever_."

"So, about that date you promised…."

He shook his head. "Oh no. You opted out on that one, remember?"

"I did, didn't I?" Cinder groaned. "Well, at least take me out to dinner, then."

His smile outshone even the sun. "You got it, babe."


	9. Prom Night (AU)

(**Note**: High School AU, warning for some language)

Cinder's arms were aching as she pushed the desk down the hall. She'd spent nearly the entire day putting it together for her step-mother, and no doubt she'd be given something else to do as soon as she was finished. She just hoped that whatever followed didn't involve pushing heavy things through the entire apartment.

Now, there was just the problem of getting it through the doorway...

"Cinder!" At least it wasn't Adri shouting at her. "Cinder! I need you," Peony drawled, nearly crashing into her step-sister as she ran down the hall.

Her back was sore as she straightened, popping it as she moved. "What's up?"

Peony was bashful now, her hands clasped behind her back, swaying on her feet. "Uh, so, um, prom is coming up…"

_Of course_, Cinder thought. "Is it? I must've missed the posters at school."

The corners of Peony's mouth dipped down. "I really want to go…."

"You're only a sophomore. You know you can't go until you're a junior without an upperclassmen escort."

"Which is why I'm asking you!"

Cinder groaned. "Help me get this thing into your mom's room." Pouting, Peony moved to the other side of the desk and pulled while Cinder pushed and maneuvered it. "Don't you have a friend who can go with you?"

She frowned. "Iko and Scarlet _both _have dates, and Cress is going with an upperclassman, and Winter has a boyfriend, but they're not going anyway!"

Cinder furrowed her brow. "Really? I figured, if nothing else, they would go and they'd be crowned King and Queen."

Peony tittered, "Except that Levana and Kai have that on lock! Which is another reason you should go. Kaito Huang!" She said his name with an air of wistful grace and Cinder rolled her eyes, as if that was supposed to make her want to go.

"Congratulations? I'm not surprised that he's going? Aren't he and Levana going together?"

"Oh, no. Didn't you hear they broke up? We're in the same lunch and she practically announced it to the entire cafeteria and cried the _entire _time. It was totally fake. But who cares? _Please _take me to prom, Cinder. Pretty please?"

Cinder moved the desk into place and brushed her hands on her shorts. "Bribe someone in one of your classes to take you. I'm not going to prom."

Peony let out a whine and then latched onto one of Cinder's arms, nearly knocking them both to the floor. "Please? I'll even help you pick out a dress!"

"I don't _want _to pick out a dress. Besides, Adri will never give me money to buy a ticket, let alone a dress. I'm not going."

"I've got the costs covered. Mom won't let me go alone, and Pearl thinks I'll just ruin her night. _Please_, Cinder?"

Cinder prayed for patience. "For _all of the stars_, Peony. Yes. Fine. I'll go."

* * *

><p>The dress was too loose in the chest and the heels of her shoes were a bit too big, standing at a height of three inches, about two and three quarters of an inch higher than Cinder would have preferred. The dress was black, which Cinder liked, but it was sequined–a compromise Peony forced her to come to.<p>

"You'd look like you were going to a funeral otherwise," she'd explained.

"It'll be _my _funeral," Cinder had replied.

She planted her hands on her waist and twisted in varying directions as she stared into the mirror. She was every kind of unattractive, her dress every kind of unflattering, her hair every kind of horribly boring. It would never hold a curl, would never hold a bun, would never be anything other than too thin and too messy. Frustration welling inside, she questioned for the fifteenth time in the last hour why she was there, why she'd agreed to go.

Maybe, in the back of her mind, knowing Kai would be there had convinced her just a bit.

Not that he would notice her. Not that he'd ever noticed her. They'd had a grand total of four classes together since they were freshmen and he likely didn't even remember her name. She was the weird recluse who was really good with her hands, and he was the hot-shot rich, intelligent, pretty boy who also happened to be unwaveringly, unbelievably sweet. It was a cruel, cruel world indeed.

"Cinder! C'mon, we're leaving!" Peony yelled from the living room.

She glanced at herself again, screwing up her face in disgust. "Coming."

It was too late to go back now.

* * *

><p>Peony was a jumble of anticipation as they stepped out of the car. They'd managed to hitch a ride from their friend Cress, whose new boyfriend was driving her. Cinder felt bad for imposing, but he was nice enough. The boy practically towered over Cress, but they were a cute couple nonetheless.<p>

"Oh my _gosh_," her step-sister squealed. "We're here! I made it!" She turned to Cinder. "You're the _best_," she said for the millionth time.

Cinder just pressed a smile.

The atmosphere was chaotic and exciting and Cinder felt absolutely nauseous. This was not her scene, nor would it ever be her scene.

She slipped off her heels–something Peony had informed her that every girl does once they get inside–and took a seat at the table they picked. She wouldn't dance, she was only there to watch, more a chaperone than a student.

Well, until Peony dragged her to the dance floor. Cinder had been completely content just people-watching and playing on her phone, talking to Scarlet and her date when they passed, spotting Cress dancing with hers on the dance floor, trying to avoid looking for Kai. He was probably dancing with some girl. Besides, he was popular and could have any girl in their graduating class of 821, so there was no reason for him to want _her_, a loner and, she wouldn't have been surprised, a loser.

The DJ was half-decent at her job. Cinder wasn't really into popular hits, but she could keep rhythm with them well enough as they boomed from the speakers. She started getting into it, the excitement infringing on the mounting anxiety, and she did a twirl. She spotted Kai looking at her, dancing with his friends only a few feet away, and _smiling _and it was heart-stopping and she assumed she was only seeing things.

A few more songs passed, in which Iko abandoned her date for them for a quick dancing session, and then the DJ slowed it down. The couples all began to converge once again.

Dread sank into Cinder's stomach as she backed out of the crowd. Peony rolled her eyes and just shrugged, motioning that she was going to the bathroom, and Cinder decided to head back to their table.

Before she got three steps away, someone brushed her arm. When she realized it was deliberate, she stopped and turned.

"Hey, Cinder." She was met with a dazzling smile and copper eyes that pinned her to her spot.

She tried to keep herself calm, returning his smile, though she was certain hers was not nearly as gorgeous. "Uh, hey, Kai."

He looked back at the dance floor. There were couples littering the whole space. His eyes met hers again. "Would you like to dance?"

Her mouth fell open. Closed again. She worked her jaw. "I, uh, I-I-I d-I don't… I don't know how to dance."

"Nonsense. You were dancing just now!"

She mindlessly scratched at her wrist. "I don't slow dance."

"You'll get the hang of it." His smile was nearly blinding her now. He was _so _handsome, especially in his well-tailored suit. He probably hadn't even had to rent it. "I've been dying to dance with you since you got out on the floor."

Her stomach turned over. She could've hurled if she'd eaten anything before they left. "O-okay."

The song was already on its first chorus by the time he led her back to the dance floor, taking one hand in his and resting the other on her back; she was hyper aware of its placement, every small movement of his fingers, the heat of his skin against her dress. Cinder was only going through the motions, her heart beating in her throat, her fingers locked on his shoulder.

They swayed at first before he willed her forward, and they began to dance like she knew what she was doing.

He cast a glance down at her dress. "You look lovely tonight."

She blinked. "I didn't even do my hair _or _makeup."

Kai chuckled. "You don't need to. I mean, I don't think anyone needs to, necessarily, but you… you look beautiful just as you are."

Was this really happening? Was he really flirting with her right now? It had to be a joke. A terrible, sick joke.

She looked past him, her lips pursed. "How much was the bet?"

He licked his lips. "What?"

"How much did your friends bet that you wouldn't ask me to dance?"

His steps faltered–they nearly stumbled over one another. "Oh, Cinder. It's not like that."

She realized that he knew her name. How did he know her name? Four classes, three years. 3500 students in the school. How did he remember her name?

The song would be ending any time now, she figured, so at least the embarrassment wouldn't last too much longer. And besides, she could feel all of the girls standing off to the side of the dance floor _glaring _at her. None of them were hiding it, either.

He tightened his arm that was around her. "I know I have a hell of a way of showing it, but I've always found you to be quite interesting."

She rolled her eyes. "Interesting? Like a mistreated, caged animal is interesting, right?"

"No." The corners of his lips quirked upwards. "Like a pretty girl is interesting."

She groaned. "It's really cruel to build a girl up and break her down, you know. If I were anyone else–"

"–It's really not like that, Cinder."

She met his gaze again. "So you've waited three years to say it, and all because you wanted to ask me to _dance_?"

"Things with my ex were complicated, and you honestly seemed really out of my league."

She stifled the urge to push him away and just leave. She'd walk home if she had to. This was far more embarrassing than that would be. "Hm, let's see." Her grip on his shoulder was tight, and she knew–hoped–it was uncomfortable. "The most popular guy in school, check. Rich _and _smart, check. Mind-numbingly handsome, check. Too nice for someone in his position, check. Out of the loser loner girl's league? You lost me on that one."

"You've got a really fucked up sense of self-worth, you know?" His voice and his expression were gentle, or maybe he pitied her. She couldn't decide.

She shrugged. "It happens."

The song finally ended and she dropped her arm away from his shoulder. He didn't let go of her. "Like I said, I have a hell of a way of showing people how I feel. I have a lot of expectations on me, you know, and I just–"

"–You just what? You think I'm a really good way at getting back at your parents? 'Look, mom and dad! I broke up with Levana, even though we're actually from the same social class, and now I'm dating a total loser! And she's _poor_! Aren't you so terribly disappointed in me?'"

He looked hurt. "I broke up with Levana because she's manipulative and emotionally abusive. It took a long time to end that relationship, Cinder. I've been dying to get away from her. And, for the record, you're not a loser. And I don't really care about how much money you have."

"Don't have."

"I don't care about what my parents think or want, either."

The pop songs had returned again and people were starting to return to dancing wildly, though a lot of them were staring at the mismatched couple now. She pretended not to notice.

She wet her lips. "What do you want from me, Kai?"

"I don't know, Cinder. I don't want anything from you, I guess. I just wanted you to know how I feel."

"They'll be announcing King and Queen soon," she mumbled, pulling out of his grip. "Have fun dancing with your ex. I'm sure that'll be interesting. Like the scene of a freak car accident is interesting."

She turned on her heel and walked away, passing the tables and going straight to the exit of the dance hall. The bathroom was _right _there, and she wondered where Peony was. Maybe she was at the table. Maybe she saw everything. Maybe she saw nothing.

"Cinder!"

Her shoulders tensed. She heard the music in the other room stop, and someone was saying something into a microphone. "That sounds like your cue," she said, not turning to look at him.

"I meant everything I said."

Her head rolled back and she stared at the ceiling. "My _god_, Kai. You aren't going to let up, are you?"

She was glad no one else was around, aside from a few indifferent chaperones, everyone else inside waiting for them to announce the King and Queen, as if they didn't already know the outcome.

Cinder turned around to look at him. He had his hands shoved in his pockets. She crossed her arms. "What?"

"I really–I wasn't lying."

"Doesn't mean it wasn't a bet."

He dragged a hand down his face before depositing it back in his pocket. "My friends _know _that I like you. They bet me that I wouldn't tell you. So yes, it was a bet, but not in the way you think."

"How long?"

"How long what?"

"Have you 'liked' me, or whatever?"

"Two years."

She threw her hands in the air. "Two years!"

"I've been with Levana for longer, though. Unfortunately, I'm sure you knew that. Like I said, things were complicated."

She rubbed the back of her neck, pity in her heart, stubbornness in her head. "Yeah, I know all about emotionally abusive relationships."

He frowned. "I'm sorry."

"Stop. Just stop. This is ridiculous. You and I are not on the same wavelength, Kai. Not even if we wanted to be."

He raked his fingers through his hair. "I like you, Cinder. Don't you get that?"

She crossed her arms over her chest again. "I don't even know you. I know what I've heard, and that's it."

A small smile played at his lips. "It's a start, at least."

"That wasn't me agreeing to anything."

He sighed, though his smile didn't fade. Cheers erupted from the dance hall. Kai turned to look and Cinder looked past him to see Levana climbing onto the stage.

"They'll be announcing you next."

"I don't care." He turned to look at her. "Let them all realize I'm not in there and come out here. I'd tell the whole school how I felt if it would do anything to change your mind."

She was blushing now, she knew. "How can you possibly like me?"

He stepped closer, his eyes piercing her. "I don't know that, either. I just know that I do and I've never been able to deny it."

Confused chatter was starting to leak through the open doors that lead to the dance floor. People were shouting his name.

Her stomach churned. "Is this a prank?"

He was laughing now. "You really don't believe me."

"Not at all."

A few people rushed out from the dance hall. "Hey, Kai! C'mon, bro, they're crowning you."

He looked at them like they were a nuisance. "_Pass_. I'm busy."

Her nails were digging into her forearms, likely leaving marks. What was he doing?

"Levana's going to be pissed," one of them pointed out.

"She doesn't know how to be anything else," Kai replied. "Seriously, I'm busy here."

They all turned to Cinder. One of her nails cut through her skin. They passed glances between each other, before looking at Kai. Another person spoke this time. "We'll let them know."

When they were alone again, Kai seemed to relax just a bit. Cinder tapped her foot anxiously. "You gave up the prestigious title of Prom King. What ever will you do?"

"Give up my seat in the Student Government, probably."

She feigned a gasp. "Oh, but Kaito! Everyone would be so disappointed!"

He chuckled. "This whole conversation is just us throwing out what-ifs and buts, you know. It's not very fair to not give this a chance just based on what might happen."

She chewed her lip. "Didn't I mention that I hardly know you? And you hardly know me."

"We can fix that."

Cinder wiped away the little drop of blood that trickled out from where she broke the skin with her nail and then dropped her arms, fiddling with her dress. "You and I could never work out."

"How can you know if you don't ever try?"

Her heart was palpitating. She held her chin up and met his eyes with all the confidence she could muster. "I just do, Kai."

"No, you don't."

He shook his head and a piece of hair fell into his eye, begging to be brushed out of the way–

No, she wouldn't think like that, she couldn't. He just looked so vulnerable, standing there with that desperation in his eyes and a pathetic grin on his face.

She began to look around, glancing behind her, glancing at the ceiling and at the floor, her gaze addressing the corners and light fixtures with care.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Trying to find the cameras."

"What cameras?"

She met his eyes again. "This is clearly some sort of prank show."

"No cameras," he said. "No games and no tricks. I'm not promising that there's no one around watching us right now," he shot a meaningful glance towards the door, and Cinder saw quick movements from behind the door frame, "but that doesn't make me a liar."

Her heart seemed to cave in on itself. A small smirk crept across her lips. "You're right. I suppose it doesn't."

He made another tiny step towards her. "And what was it you called me? Devilishly handsome?"

"I believe my words were 'mind-numbingly handsome'. 'Devilish' doesn't suit you."

"Cinder," he said softly.

Her heart was pounding, she realized. Her voice came out stronger than his. "Kai."

He moved closer again. He was right in front of her. She could smell his cologne. Fingers brushed her elbow.

"Is this part of the bet?" she breathed, knowing she should stop him, wanting desperately not to. Her heart was winning over her mind this time around.

"My own little addition, actually."

His lips were soft and warm, and she was sure hers were awkward and tense. He pulled away only briefly, adjusting so that he was holding her this time. She detected every small movement of the fingers pressed into her back, the way his lips moved around hers with ease and an evident desire to do so.

This time, they were broken apart by a chaperone. "Come on, you two," she warned.

They both laughed and decided to go sit outside and soak up the warm night air. They found a bench in a small garden area not far from the parking lot and sat down. He grinned at her. "That was an interesting turn of events."

"Yeah," she said. "Interesting like dancing with a prince at the ball is interesting."

He quirked a brow. "Did you just compare me to a prince?"

"I also compared prom to a _royal ball_. Don't flatter yourself."

He tucked her hair behind her ear. "Enough with the analogies," he whispered. "Wouldn't want to ruin the moment."

Her gaze dipped to his lips before meeting his eyes again. "Of course not."

Then, she slid her arms around him and kissed him. It was the most out-of-character thing she'd ever done.

Interesting. Like a caterpillar's metamorphosis into a butterfly was interesting.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>: So many flashbacks to last summer, when it wasn't uncommon for me to start writing something at midnight and then have it finished by 4 AM. Oh, Spring Break, you are working _wonders _for me. I don't know if this is that good, but it was late and I was tired and everything is adorable when I'm tired. I reread it like 4 times and I don't hate it, so that's got to mean something... I don't know. I'll let you guys decide. I'm gonna shut up now!


	10. Small World (AU)

**Small World**

(**Mix of two AUs**: "your music is really loud but oh my god this is my jam"; "you live in the apartment above me and every day I can hear you singing in the shower but you're really good and it makes my day", both from edge-of-bizzare!)

* * *

><p>I can hear his music blaring through his headphones on the train.<p>

It's late, but it wasn't when I got on. The only open spot was a stand-up across from him and, an hour and a half later, the train is nearly empty and I don't feel like sitting down.

I try to mind my own business, staring down at the book in my hand, mouthing along to the words of the song he's listening to. But I can't focus on the book, because he's really cute and I think I feel him–

–Yup, he's staring at me.

I slide my gaze to him and he's grinning, bobbing his head to the beat. I blush and immediately look away.

Then he brushes my arm. I nearly drop my book as I turn to look at him. He's smiling and it's beautiful. "You can sit, if you'd like. We can listen to the song together!"

I chuckle. It sounds awkward and out of place. "Oh, no, it's fine. I love that song, is all."

Still smiling, he offers his headphone to me. "No, c'mon, I love this song, too. The girl that lives in the apartment above me sings it all the time in the shower." Dread fills my stomach. _Oh_, _stars_. "She's really good. Hits all the notes every time. That's half the reason I like this song so much."

I laugh again and then decide to take his offer, glad I won't be singing during the trip.

As the song plays in one ear, he glances at me. "So, where you headed?"

"Home," I say. The problem is, I realize that's likely also where he's going….

"Oh, really? Me too!" Dammit. "I had class this morning and then work until 9. I've been looking forward to my bed all day."

I nod. I can't believe he's talking to me, considering he's probably pretty far out of my league. "I've just been at work all day," I tell him. "I wish this train ride wasn't so long."

He laughs. I wish he'd do it more often. "It's a big city, especially when everywhere you have to go is all the way across town. I don't think I've ever seen you on this train, though."

I shrug and then let out a sigh. "I had to work a double. Usually I'm off by 5 at the latest."

"What do you do?"

"I'm a mechanic."

He studies me now, an eyebrow lifted. "You're pretty young."

_That's what they all say_. "I'm naturally talented, or so people tell me. I took a lot of shop classes in high school."

"Did you just graduate?"

He's probably older, I realize. "Yeah, back in June. I should be in college, but I can't afford it. Plus, there's not really a point."

The intercom goes off and we're only two stops from the station near the complex.

He frowns at my statement. "That's a shame. I'm sure you're pretty smart."

I feel myself blush again. And, comets in the sky, I think I have butterflies. "Thanks," I tell him. "What're you studying?"

"Business." He rolls his eyes and lets out a long groan. "My dad wants me to take over the family business when he retires. I guess this is my fate, though."

He laughs, but I don't think he likes it much. I nod. "I see."

"So, do you have a name?"

I discover that he's long since paused the music. I gulp. "Cinder."

He sticks out his hand. "Kai. It's a pleasure to meet you."

His hand is warm and strong, and his caramel brown eyes are pretty breath-taking, too. "Pleasure's all mine," I sputter out, though I'm a little more than embarrassed about how it sounds.

The train starts to slow again and the intercom sounds.

I stand up and he follows. "Oh, is this your stop?"

I'm reluctant to answer. "Yup!"

"Mine too! You live around here?"

"I guess you could say that."

The closer we get to the apartment building, the more I realize he's probably getting suspicious, the way he keeps randomly going quiet and glancing at me with a strange look on his face.

Finally, he's buzzing in and staring at me. "Are you following me, Cinder?" He sounds serious, but at least he's still smiling. Maybe a bit creeped out.

"I, um, I live here," I explain.

He laughs. "No way! What floor?"

"Twelfth."

His smile fades, but I think it's more in shock than anything. "Are you, by chance–"

All I do is nod.

His grin returns and we walk into the elevator. "When did you realize that?"

"When you said that the girl above you sings that song all the time."

He bumps me with his elbow. "You should've said something. You've got to sing for me some time!" Then his ears tinge pink and he clears his throat. "Well, you don't _have _to, but if the situation ever arises…."

I nudge him back with my own elbow. "Sure, if the situation ever arises."

We both turn away from each other and silence fills the small space. The elevator is slow. We're only at the sixth floor.

Seventh.

Eighth.

"Hey, Cinder?"

I nearly jump when he addresses me. I meet his eyes, and they're stunning even in this poor lighting. "Y-yeah?"

He starts picking at his fingernails nervously. He won't look at me. "Can I take you out for coffee sometime?"

Ninth.

Tenth.

_Ding_.

The silence has completely engulfed us now. The doors open and he sticks his hand in front of them to keep them that way. And he's _staring _at me, waiting.

"Yeah, yes. Uh, do you want my number?"

He grins. "Nah. Next time I hear you singing, I'll just wait fifteen minutes after it ends before I come up. We can make plans then."

I'm not sure what to think, and he's so cute and he's looking at me like _that _and my heart's thudding and I cannot function.

"I'm joking," he says with a laugh. "Yeah, here." He hands me his phone and I type in my information before giving it back.

"I'll see you around, Kai."

He slides out of the elevator and then shoots me a wink as he heads to his door. "I sure hope so."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>: I've been trying to space out posting these because I've posted so much this week and would like to save some for when my creativity is inevitably killed by school..., but I had a fabulous day and for that, I'm posting this. It makes sense in my head. Or whatever. Can you tell I've been really into AU prompts these last few days? (I hope you said yes because, believe me, there's a couple more.)


	11. Arrivals and Departures (AU)

**Arrivals and Departures**

(**AU**: "Our flights back home keep getting cancelled and delayed thanks to the weather, but at this point I don't think I mind." – foriamjustlikeyou)

* * *

><p>"<em>FLIGHT WN 485 TO NEW YORK, JFK HAS BEEN DELAYED. PLEASE REMAIN IN THE TERMINAL FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTION."<em>

Cinder Linh hit her head against the back of her chair. She'd been in the airport for six hours now. Her flight was meant to take off four hours ago, but there was a torrential downpour of snow–rather, a blizzard–outside and she shouldn't have been so surprised.

She really, really hated the Midwest. At least there was no snow on the West Coast.

She glanced down at her book. It had long since gotten boring. Well, not boring, but mostly she was too tired to read it.

Even if they canceled her flight, there's no way a cab could come pick her up and take her to a hotel. The snow was too bad. She was trapped until it blew over. She threw her book into her carry-on and ripped her headphones out.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered to herself. Cinder was mindlessly exhausted, and she'd hoped to catch some sleep on the plane, but apparently not….

Someone laughed, breaking the silence, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. "Didn't mean to scare you," he said, still laughing when she looked over. "I don't think we're ever getting out of here, though."

She stitched her eyebrows together and looked around. "How long have you been there?"

He laughed again. "About three hours."

"Oh. Sorry."

Cinder got a good look at him. He had copper-brown eyes and swooping black hair and the most heart-shattering smile she'd ever seen. He was wearing a grey button-up and black slacks and, though his clothes were wrinkled from all the sitting, he looked pretty good. "It's fine," he said. "You were very focused on your book."

She chuckled. "Yeah, that's… yeah. Sorry. I don't pay very much attention to my surroundings sometimes. Especially when I'm stuck in them without proper stimulation for far too long. Really drains me."

"Oh, I understand. Happens to me all the time." He stuck out his hand. "Kai."

"Cinder." She tried to hide her blush as she shook his hand, but his eyes never left hers.

And she thought that, perhaps, she might drown in them.

"So," he said, sitting back against his chair. "We're stuck here together until they inevitably cancel our flight. You from here?"

She shook her head. "Portland, actually. This is my layover. You?"

"Houston." He rolled his eyes. "Hell City. Moved there for work. Flying for work. Everything for work."

"Ever been to St. Louis?"

"Too many times." He unplugged his cell phone charger from the outlet behind his chair and tucked it into his bag. "It lost its appeal after the fifth visit. Have you been?"

"Somewhere other than this airport? Nah."

"It's not that great, trust me."

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat before looking over at her. "You wanna go for a walk? I know everything's closed, but I can't sit here much longer. I don't even know if I have nerve connection to my feet anymore."

Glad to be able to get away from that stupid chair, she stood up, but lost her balance almost immediately. "Apparently, I might not, either. C'mon, let's walk the terminal and hope no one steals our things."

Kai threw a glance around the gate. "Everyone's either asleep or staring at the floor and hoping the snow overtakes this place and freezes us all to death, so I think we're good."

She smiled. "Well, let's get going, then. We probably shouldn't venture too far, in case some kid wakes up and decides to go rifling through our stuff."

Having stowed away their valuable belongings, they moved to walk through the terminal.

"So," he began, "what's in New York?"

"Friends," she replied. "They want me to move in, but I can't. I'm just visiting. You?"

He chuckled. "Work, like I said. Everything's all work all the time."

"Guess your girlfriend isn't too pleased with that?"

She would've been lying had she said she hadn't felt a ping of jealousy at the very mention of the word. But why? He was just a stranger. A dangerously handsome, kind stranger….

He chuckled again. "No girlfriend, no wife. Married to my job."

"What do you even do?"

"Market Research Analysis. So exciting."

She liked his sarcasm. "Look at you, Mr. College."

"Oh, god. _Don't _call me that!" His tone was amused, so she knew he wasn't really offended. "It was my dad's dream and I just went with it. But, eh, no one cares about my tragic back story. What about you? What do _you _even do, Miss Cinder?"

She liked the way he said her name, too. "I fix cars for a living. _So exciting_."

They passed a string of closed restaurants and shops before circling back around. "Hey," he said. "That can't be too terrible, can it?"

"How did you phrase it?" she asked. "Married to the job? I'm not married to the shop, we're just dating, but it's pretty serious."

"I take it you're not seeing anyone, then."

She shrugged. "I took my only vacation time to go visit my friends for a few days, if that tells you anything. I have most weekends off, but I just spend them catching up on sleep and trying to keep my apartment clean."

"Sounds hectic."

"I make it work."

He hummed for a moment. "So, Cinder. If you could move anywhere in the country, where would you go?"

"Atlanta, I think."

"Have you _been _to Atlanta?"

She scoffed. "No. It's just… it's not the west coast."

"Okay, well, the air is way too thick there. Wouldn't recommend."

"You're from Houston!" She laughed aloud. It seemed to echo in the otherwise quiet airport. They'd almost walked the entire terminal now, their seats in view. Cinder was glad, too, because she was starting to feel tired–well, tired enough to sleep. "So, if I need recommendations on where I should move, if I ever get the chance to, I should just ask you?"

He flashed her a grin. She liked that the most. "Yeah. I've been just about everywhere."

"Seattle?"

"Too rainy."

"Indianapolis?"

"Boring!"

"Columbus?"

"Hell no. Believe me, you want to avoid the Midwest as much as possible."

"Maybe I'll just stay in Portland. I'm going to die alone and in Oregon. I'm almost looking forward to it."

They sat back down in their chairs and she tucked a leg under her, facing him.

He waved his hand in the air. "You won't die alone, and I know you won't die in Oregon. There's too much of the world for you to be stuck there."

"Where would you move?" she asked, smiling.

"Phoenix. The heat is akin to Hell, I'm sure, but it's dry and I really love the desert."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "And having rocks for your front lawn, apparently."

"They're pretty endearing."

He looked around again. Nothing had changed since they left, and all of their things were still tucked cleanly underneath the chairs. "So, hey, I swear I don't do this every time my flight gets delayed and I meet a pretty girl, but if we do happen to make it to New York, can I get your number? We can meet up, if you don't mind taking a few hours away from your friends." He looked away and she noticed that his ears had shaded pink. "And, if I'm ever in Portland, maybe you can take time out of your busy schedule to hang out."

_Pretty_? Cinder blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. "Are-are you insinuating that, if we're ever in the same place at the same time, we should go on _dates_?"

"Call them whatever you want, Miss Cinder. I was thinking of just, you know, two adults getting together to eat good food and drink good coffee and talk about their lives."

She giggled nervously. "So, dates."

"Sure, Cinder. Dates. What do you say?"

She slipped her hand into her back pocket, pulled out her phone, and opened the contacts app before handing it to him. "Consider it done. But, you know, even if we don't make it to New York, we could still find something to do here while it all blows over…." She blushed and bit her lip, but he just smiled down at her phone.

"Sure, Cinder," said Kai.

He handed her phone back and she texted him to make sure that he'd have her number, too. As they settled into the night, the conversation drifted into little tidbits here and there. Mostly silence.

She found herself dozing off not an hour later, her head on his shoulder.

Deep down, Cinder knew that this would not end here.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> I. Love. OTP prompts.


	12. Picture Perfect (AU)

**Picture Perfect**

He stroked his fingers through her hair. "We don't have to do this."

"We're doing it, Kai."

"We can just stay inside all day and make out instead."

She buried a smile. He could be so convincing sometimes. "As nice as that sounds, I think making out at the top of a mountain sounds so much better."

He linked his hands around the small of her back and pulled her flush against him. She screwed up her lips in response. "Think about _me_, Cinder. Haven't you considered that I don't like hiking?"

"This was your idea! We didn't drive twelve hours here and take a few days off work just so we can lay in bed and make out. We can do that at home, you know."

He smirked. "Yeah, but there's nothing wrong with a change of scenery." When she rolled her eyes, he pulled her impossibly closer. Cinder loved when they were this close–two years later and she still couldn't get enough of him. "The sun isn't even up yet," he pouted.

She leaned forward slightly and planted a kiss right between his eyebrows. "If we want to get to the summit by noon, we need to leave soon."

Kai grimaced. "Can we sleep in tomorrow?"

She rolled out of his arms and flipped her legs over the side of the hotel room bed, stretching. "Maybe you'll like it so much that you'll want to get up and go again!"

"I doubt it," he said, chuckling.

She picked up their prepared hiking packs from the floor and tossed a protein bar onto his stomach. "Let's go, Kai!"

* * *

><p>"Oh my <em>god<em>, I'm dying. Do I look like I'm dying? I think I'm dying."

She paused and turned around to glare at him. "Kai. We've been walking for fifteen minutes."

"You know," he said, panting, "the offer to go back to the room and stay there all day is still on the table."

She grinned. "If you weren't so cute, I'd tell you to walk back by yourself. But you're coming with me. It's only a couple more hours, Kai."

"But–"

"–You'll live. According to the map, there's a waterfall that's about a mile into the trail."

"How much further away is that?" he asked, desperation in his tone.

She glanced around. "A little less than a half mile. We'll be there in no time!"

Cinder thought Kai might've started crying had he not just heaved a sigh and started walking again.

What a weakling.

When they finally got to the waterfall, Kai was hunched over his knees and digging through his pack for water and another protein bar. Cinder snapped a photo of the nature.

"How far up is the summit?"

She pulled the map from her pack and studied it for a moment. "About another four miles. The summit itself is only about a mile and a quarter high, but the hike is five miles altogether. We should make it there by noon if we don't take too long here."

Kai moved to stand next to her, taking in the view of the waterfall.

Cinder smiled, glad he was enjoying some part of this. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

He looked at her, raking his gaze over her form. "Yeah, it is."

Rolling her eyes, she punched him lightly in the stomach. "There's a small trail we can take to get behind it. Apparently it's really cool from over there."

"Won't we get wet?"

"Not if we're careful!"

She led him carefully around the stream and over rocks and across the thinnest line of passable stone possible before they were behind the waterfall, the sound of water on rocks pounding in their ears. She snapped a picture.

Kai planted his hands on his hips. "This is… wow."

"Worth it?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I'd still rather be hiding under the covers together."

When he winked at her, she reached over to playfully punch him again, but he stopped her with a gentle hand around her wrist, pulling her in for a kiss. She slid her arms around his waist and savored the moment–it _was _rather romantic, after all. He tasted like oats and sweat and water droplets, with the waterfall on one side of them and a natural wall on the other, and all the privacy in the world.

"I love you," he whispered against her lips.

Her heart thumped in response. "I love you, too."

She stepped away from him and pulled her ponytail taut against her scalp. "Now, to get back out of here."

She took his hand as they made their way back out, and almost didn't stop herself from thinking that heading down to the hotel wouldn't be such a bad idea….

She picked her pack up from where they tucked them behind a tree, slung it over her back and shuffled it around her shoulders. "Okay. Gotta get moving!"

He groaned, but picked up his pack and followed her back up.

The scenery was absolutely marvelous. They lived in a city, and it didn't smell anything like this. Kai eventually sucked it up and stopped complaining. It was nice when it was so peaceful, with nothing but the birds chirping and the leaves and sticks crunching beneath their feet.

After a while, they came to an outlook point. All that was below them was trees, and in front of them, mountains.

"We're on our last mile," said Cinder. "And it's only 11:15. We're making pretty good time."

Kai hummed. "Does this mean we can take a picture here and then I can kiss you a few more times before we get to the top?"

She shot him a look. "Pictures, yes. But goodness, Kai. We're not the only ones here, you know."

There were only a few people around them, mostly couples and a single, small family, but Cinder wasn't much for showy amounts of PDA.

"How did they get up here before us?"

"They probably took the tram."

Kai scoffed. "You mean we could've just taken a _tram _up here? Instead of walking?"

Cinder gave him a look, feigned being hurt. "You mean you would've traded making out under a waterfall for a cramped trip in a glorified cart with loud little kids?"

He scowled, but there was a hint of amusement behind it. "Okay, okay, fine. But when we get to the top, I expect to be rewarded."

"Oh, you _expect _it, huh?"

"You know what I mean."

She pulled her phone out and opened up its camera. "Yeah, I know what you mean." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Now, come on, the summit is calling our name."

They took a few pictures with the mountains behind them before she tucked her phone away again and they made their way to the last leg of their trip.

"As far as tomorrow goes, I think we'll have to stay in bed all day. I won't even be able to move," Kai complained.

"Don't worry," Cinder said, smirking. "We could always put that huge tub in the bathroom to good use. We did pay extra for it, after all."

His returned grin was full of mischief. "Now _that_ I can really appreciate."

Cinder shook her head and led him back to the main trail. Her legs were starting to ache, too, but the descent would be far easier than the climb.

Not twenty minutes later, a sign along the trail indicated that they were a mere quarter mile from the summit. Excitement started to roll into Cinder's nerves. "We're almost there!" she announced.

Next to her, Kai sighed. "Thanks, sweetheart, but I can read."

She bumped him with her hip, nearly knocking him into a tree trunk, but he only laughed it off.

They didn't speak at all as the top of the mountain came into view. Cinder was absolutely elated as they stood on a rock slab and stared out into the vast world below them. It was beautiful and breathtaking by every meaning of the word.

Cinder slipped her phone out of her back pocket and took a few pictures, making sure to turn on the HD setting so that she could capture as much of the beauty as a smartphone camera could, and then stuck it back in its place.

She twisted to assess Kai's reaction before realizing she didn't see him at all. She stitched her eyebrows together and started to look for him, before a beam of noontime sunlight glinted off of something that was about stomach-high.

Glancing down, Cinder's heart caught in her throat and her hands clamped over her mouth, because Kai was on one knee with a hopeful smile on his face and holding out a velvet box with a ring nestled inside of it.

"Cinder Linh," he said, his voice a bit shaky. "Will you marry me?"

She thought she felt her heart swell two times its size, threatening to take over her lungs, stealing her breath and her words all at the same time.

He was patient as she stared down at him in utter amazement. Sure, she'd figured a long time ago that they would likely marry, but this was still so unexpected.

She hiccuped. "Oh my god, Kai." His smile grew. "Oh my _god_! Yes, yes, of course!"

In a single, fluid movement, he pulled the ring from its resting place and slid it onto her finger. He then stood up and embraced her. "I love you," he whispered.

She let out something akin to a squeal before bouncing up and down a bit. "I love you, too. I can't believe–oh my god."

He pulled back and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "So, about making out on the top of a mountain…."

She let out another small squeal again before pressing her lips against his, losing her hands in his hair, the rock on her ring finger seeming to weigh it down just a bit, though it hardly held any weight at all.

She leaned away and chuckled, a stray tear slipping down her cheek. Kai swiped at it with the pad of his thumb. "This was the best idea I've ever had," he told her.

"For once, I think you may be right."

Too bad this feeling wasn't something with a beauty that could be photographed.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> So much for the whole "putting off posting things for when my creativity gets killed". It hasn't happened yet and I'm stupid enough to be hopeful that it won't! Anyway, this is hella cute. Thanks lovelunarchron for being like 'hey, you should write A Thing". I have to go read a french book now. xoxo


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